Renton teen sentenced for firing AK-47 at deputy

Prosecutors charged King, age 16 at the time of the two shootings, as an adult.

Courtesy Photo, King County

Courtesy Photo, King County

A King County Superior Court judge sentenced a Renton man on Aug. 9 in Seattle in two 2021 shootings, including firing an AK-47 at a King County Sheriff’s Office deputy.

The judge sentenced 18-year-old Jai King to six years in confinement for charges of assault in the first degree and assault in the second degree for two shootings in November 2021.

King pleaded guilty on June 27 to a felony count of assault in the first degree for involvement alongside two additional suspects in shooting at a “rival group” on Nov. 26, 2021, at a Federal Way apartment complex; and to a felony count of assault in the second degree for firing an AK-47 on Nov. 28, 2021, at a King County Sheriff’s Office deputy in Skyway near Renton.

The court sentenced King to 36 months in confinement for the count of assault in the first degree, and 20 months for the count on the assault in the second degree, with both sentences to run concurrently. The court added an additional 36-month firearm enhancement to the assault in the second degree count, resulting in a total sentence of six years.

Family and friends of King were present at his sentencing hearing on Aug. 9, 2024.

According to court documents, King and three additional occupants stepped out of a vehicle on Nov. 26, 2021, and fired more than 40 rounds at a group of people standing outside an apartment complex in Federal Way with semi-automatic handguns and an AK-47. On Nov. 28, a King County Sheriff’s Office deputy positively identified King as having fired a single shot from an AK-47 at him as he sat parked on the side of the road in a patrol vehicle in Skyway.

According to prosecutorial documents, law enforcement had previously arrested King in Renton in October 2021 after King and his friends were heard firing a gun near a playground.

Prosecutors charged King on Dec. 1, 2021, with assault in the first degree and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree for the Nov. 28, 2021, shooting.

On July 6, 2022, prosecutors charged King with assault in the first degree and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree for the Nov. 26, 2021, shooting.

Prosecutors charged King, age 16 at the time of the two shootings, as an adult as a result of the severity of the charges.

King’s acceptance of the plea agreement resulted in the dismissal and reduction of charges to an assault in the first degree count for the first shooting, and an assault in the second degree count for the second shooting.

The court additionally sentenced King to four years and six months of community custody following confinement.

King continues to face additional charges in juvenile court, including assault in the third degree for assaulting a corrections officer in March 2022, and three counts of unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree and one count of unlawful possession of a machine gun in July 2023.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in Northwest

Courtesy Photo, King County Metro
King County Metro seeks feedback about connecting buses to light rail

Agency plans to make changes in South King County as light rail opens in 2026

t
State Patrol arrests Auburn man for I-5 vehicular homicide

Impairment is suspected in Dec 1 crash near King County-Pierce County line

FILE PHOTO
Auburn is finalizing ‘asks’ for state lawmakers

Public safety funding, budget gap problems and local projects are on the table.

Tam Bui with Irene Graham. Photo by Joshua Solorzano/Sound Publishing
Federal Way clinic uses sugar water for pain management

Irene Graham, 105, couldn’t get out of bed on her own before the dextrose injection

t
Federal Way man indicted for kidnapping Auburn woman

Documents say cellphone data links him.

A Puget Sound Energy crew member removes a tree from the wires after the Nov. 19-20 windstorm that struck Western Washington. COURTESY PHOTO, PSE
King County storm damage assessment to help determine federal aid

Homeowners, business owners encouraged to report damages from windstorm

t
Auburn man, Seattle man, 14-year-old teen face gas station robbery charges

Reportedly involved in series of incidents Nov. 15 in Seattle

The Lummi Nation provided three colorful shawls during the MMIWP Task Force Summit in September, with turquoise representing human trafficking, purple representing overdoses (“losing our people from fentanyl”) and red representing murdered and missing Indigenous women — all crises that affect North American Natives and Tribes. The summit started with an opening ceremony with words from Lummi Tribal Chair Anthony Hillaire, Lummi Indian Business Council Secretary Lisa Wilson and a Shawl Ceremony with Lhaq’temish singers. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing
Working toward justice for the missing and murdered in Washington

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People (MMIWP) Task Force Summit highlights progress as well as shortcomings.

t
Federal Way Ukranian community rallies on 1,000th day of war

Group seeks to raise awareness about war

t
PSE says windstorm ‘comparable to a hurricane’ with ‘unprecedented damage’

Company crews rally to restore power to thousands of customers over 5-day period

Republican Dave Reichert, left, and Democrat Bob Ferguson, right, are competing in Washington’s 2024 governor’s race. (Photos courtesy of campaigns)
Ferguson defeats Reichert in governor’s race | Election 2024

Democrats have won 10 straight gubernatorial contests.